Chicago Bears’ Defense Delivers Vs. Steelers: What Can Brown Do to You?
Published by BabylonDon on September 21, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Observations on the Bears-Steelers game
Alex Brown introduced Ben Roethlisberger to the freshest sod on Chicago’s lakefront Sunday afternoon. Twice for sacks, but more importantly, when he knocked Big Ben down in mid-throw early in the second quarter, serving up Charles Tillman with an interception.
That was the play that changed the tone of a first half, that had the Steelers offense moving the ball at will on the Bears.
On their first possession, the Steelers drove 92 yards for a TD, something the Bears defense rarely allows. On this next drive, that started at Pittsburgh’s 10 yard line, they had already crossed midfield to the Bears 38 yard line when Brown came in and hammered Roethlisberger during his release, causing him to loft a rainbow arc that Tillman slid under, for the Bears only meaningful takeaway of the game*.
It was a game-changer in more ways than one; it was a sorely needed stop at a crucial moment. Another Steelers long drive for a score at that point, and the Bears would have been playing from a hole for the rest of the game.
And it signalled, for Lovie Smith, that it was time to turn up the pressure. After gaining 144 yards on their first two possessions, the Steelers managed only 164 for the rest of the day.
Brown left the game with 4:11 remaining, but insisted he’ll be ready to play Seattle next week.
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The Jay Cutler that Chicago had breathlessly anticipated showed up in a big way Sunday. After enduring the yo-yoing affections of both fans and media, Cutler endured the equally mercurial lakefront weather, displaying confidence in himself and his much maligned young receiving targets.
Even on a day when when occasional torrents of rain made pass catching a slippery proposition. Jay went 9 for 10 in the fourth quarter, including a laser strike to Johnny Knox for a game-tying touchdown. He showed a coolness under pressure that was missing in the opener in Green Bay and managed the whole game well.
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Speaking of Johnny Knox, this kid is quickly becoming a presence that opposing defenses are going to have to plan against. He had 6 catches for 70 yards, including his first NFL touchdown, with two defenders draped on him. After the game, Knox confessed he hasn’t learned the whole playbook yet.
Jerry Angelo is bringing him into the offense gradually, without throwing him too much at once, a strategy that’s going to make the Cutler-Knox connection a lot of fun to watch over this season, as Knox’s role inevitably expands.
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How good is Robbie Gould? On a day when rain and field conditions combined to cause two missed field goals for Pittsburgh’s Jeff Reed, Gould continued to set the standard by punching one in for 44 yards to seal the game for Chicago. Last week against Tennessee, the Steelers squeaked out a win in overtime.
Until the final 15 seconds of regulation, this game had an eerie feeling of deja vu. But Gould negated any fears of putting the ball in Roethlisberger’s hands again, by coming through in the clutch yet again.
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If you want to talk about negatives, there are a couple. The secondary still looks vulnerable, although pressure from the line goes a long way towards minimizing threats. And Devin Hester’s poor decision making is frightening. He gave up on a punt he could have caught, pinning the Bears against their own goal line.
And he needs to stop turning backwards after getting the ball. He does it routinely on returns, and it never goes well. Yesterday he did it on a screen, when the near sideline was open. Had he turned toward it, instead of trying to force something in the opposite direction, he would have notched a fair amount of positive yards.
Nobody wants to see him break one for a long run more than I do, but he needs to take what’s in front of him, instead of trying to create something where nothing exists.
The Bears are not an elite football team. Not yet. But if they can tighten the bolts in a few areas, they can be a contender this season. This defense gets to the ball in a hurry, but they’re not wrapping people up on first contact. If they start making that first contact tackle, they could easily be one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL.
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I’ve been optimistic about this team, since Lovie Smith took over the defense, and they acquired Jay Cutler in the offseason. There have been a lot of positives, even in the Green Bay game. After last night’s toe-to-toe brawl with last year’s Super Bowl champs, I’d bet a lot of nay-sayers are coming around.
Admit it. Even if you were one of the people saying the Bears were going 0-3 to start the season, how good does the sans-Hasselback Seattle Seahawks game next week look now?
*Craig Steltz forced a fumble that was recovered by Jamar WIlliams on the last kickoff. Thank you to Jared Bogdan for pointing this out!
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